The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-07-09
estate. Here his father John filled the of.

county, John of Marshall county and ia
cob, once celebrated cattle king, of Nor
gan county, this state, When John S. was
one year old, in 1911, Joseph Armstrong and
wife, changed their place of abode from
Pennsylvania to the woods of Licking
creek, few miles from Newark, Ohio.
Here they lived and begot several sons,
viz George w. of Brookfeld, William
f. of Grundy, many years, jeremiah, who
went to California In lS4S, accompanied
by the youngest brother, Isaiah, who still
lives there; Joel w. of Deer Park, and
Perry A. of Merris and James and Clifford.
The survivors of all the family, of the par
ents and their nine children, are John s.,
George w., Perry A and Isaiah As it is
only our purpose to speak of John s., hence,
we pass to follow his youthful career.
LAND OF PROMISE.
But to 60 back to few generations In
those days Ohio was generally wilder
ness of dense forests. No one had heard
more of the great prairies of Illinois than
vague rumors which had been regarded as
fables. The stony hills of Pennsylvania,
New York and the Yankee States TO
the far north. east were familiar to the set
tiers of eastern Ohio; all beyond that to
the west was terra incOgnita, an unknown
land. Even western Ohio had been but
partially explored In comparison with
the rugged hills, bleak mountains, impene-
trable ravines, surging streams and rocky
glens of Pennsylvania, New York and
Western Virginia, the rich, deep soiled
valleys of Ohio furnished a paradise ready
made, for the husbandman. AU he had
to do was to fell the trees, burn them up or
pile them in heaps, and grub up the
stumps, and then he would have farm,
the like of which as to the producing of
immense crops, no one had ever before
seen. In delightful valley Joseph Arm
strong pitched his camp and there, aided
by his frugal and industrious spouse, he
attacked the royal monarchs of the forest
One by one these giants were felled and
removed piece-meal, partially in the form
of rails, or clapboards or puncheons for
floors, or as fire wood. Slowly the work
went on and gradually the farm widened
In area from the garden patch piece. and
still it grew, and the young couple thrived,
even under these hard conditions.
YOUTHFUL PROGRESS.
Here John s. passed his childhood, and
when big enough to be trusted alone,
found his way to the rustic school house, a
cabin, logs of hewn or "sculched" down on
the inside. Oiled paper was used for
glass in the one solitary window Slabs
were pinned together for door, and slabs
on three legs for seats, innocent of backs.
For want of primmers, the A, B, C's were
painted on a smooth piece of Eastwood
fastened to the wall, or upon shingles, In
lieu of books A big fire place adorned
one end of the ROOM the chimney standing
on the outside of the cabin. 1t was not a
graceful thing, this chimney, made as it
was of sticks and mud, upon foundation
few feet high, of flat stones collected
from the banks or bed of the neighboring
brook. The curriculum OF these pioneer
cabin schools was not elaborate and Meth
,pIa nf pIauoio NJ
tainments If he had not mastered the pro-
found mysteries of the three RS" read.
in, ritin and ri:hmetic," so that the big boy
or girl of the school could not trip him up,
he was not entitled to a tirstclass certii-
cate, when pupil had progressed so far
as to have caught up with his teacher,
chad learned all the teacher knew" he
was considered rs finished" He had
graduated with all the honors," and he
forthwith took his degree and commence
ment exercises" as an assistant on his
fathers farm. In those days free schools
had not been devised. When school was
to be started, some one, usually the teach
err, canvassed the neighborhood over ter
ritory of three or four miles square to OBJ
tain list of subscribers. If he secured
enough money and names, especially the
cash, he opened his school, If not, not
These schools were conducted very
irregularly, and were interrupted by dis
sention and disagreements between the
teacher and this or that patron John s.
attended school few winters and In the
summer forgot about all he had acquired
the previous winter. He was kept at work
much of the time In the winter, and only
attended a school ION and off" During
this time he often drove team. and being
an expert In the management of horses
was often sent from home with two anC
even tour horse teams. He had made two
trips across the mountains to Huntington
county, Pa, a distance of 400 miles, ant
once went to the Juinata river-in 1897
In 1929 he drove to Somerset county, Pa,
and thence to Greensboro, to get set O.
blacksm this tools and carding machine
the former present from his grandfather
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